The Master rank is tainted in Apex Legends season 17, there’s no doubt about it. Since players just need to hide and get high placements to rank up, there are more Master-ranked players this season than ever before. But Apex Predators, the top 750 players in the game, are separating themselves from Masters by playing one of the game’s most aggressive characters.
Horizon wasn’t buffed in season 17. In fact, she was most recently given a nerf that decreased her weapon accuracy while using her tactical, Gravity Lift, in season 16. Despite that, her pick rate this season has steadily climbed, and according to stats site Apex Legends Status, she’s far and away the most popular legend for Apex Predator players.
Obviously, Horizon’s new Heirloom most likely has something to do with her increased pick rate. But the disparity between Horizon’s pick rate among Apex Predator players, who pick the Gravitational Manipulator more than a quarter of the time at the moment, and her pick rate in almost every other rank is huge.
And importantly, she’s not a character like Loba or Wraith with abilities that facilitate running away from fights or fighting. Horizon is all about engagement.
Especially since the nerf to her weapon accuracy on Gravity Lifts, Horizon is much less of a one-vs-one monster than she used to be and is now all about helping her team open up fights. Her Black Hole accompanied by grenade spam is capable of opening a fight with significant damage, and if teams cannot destroy or avoid it, the fight will practically be over anyway.
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Meanwhile, the Gravity Lift remains a great option for Horizon players to help their entire team challenge high-ground positions and can be a useful tool against powerful endgame ultimates like Caustic’s Gas Grenade, Catalyst’s Dark Veil, or Bangalore’s Creeping Barrage.
While it’s easy this season to achieve Diamond or Master just by becoming the game’s ultimate rat and hiding away, those who are actually interested in improving their Apex game might want to pick up Horizon and get ready for a fight.
